The Gophers’ 27-point lead over Bethune-Cookman had been cut to 11 with less than four minutes left in the season opener on Monday.

During a timeout, Minnesota’s best player and new vocal leader Dawson Garcia emphasized not getting complacent against a low-major opponent. Afterward, the U built back up the lead in a 80-60 win.

“That’s something last year’s team wasn’t doing,” Garcia said.

As a 17-point favorite, Minnesota (1-0) built a huge lead and overcome a somewhat threatening comeback to dispatch a Bethune-Cookman team picked to finish ninth in the 12-team Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).

A year ago, Minnesota had its hands full in a 61-60 win over Western Michigan, which foreshadowed last-place conference finishes for both teams.

The Gophers, picked to finish last again in the Big Ten, showed other reasons for more optimism this year. For one, they have a deeper roster.

Midway through the first half, Parker Fox and Isaiah Ihnen came off the bench, and fans at The Barn gave both players warmer responses, given how both forwards missed the last two seasons with serious ACL injuries.

They scored earlier in their comeback games and showed athleticism in getting to the basket for dunks or layups in the second half.

Starting center Pharrel Payne returned from a minor injury that kept him out of the Macalester exhibition on Thursday. Johnson limited Payne to 16 minutes as the build him up for the season.

The only absence was freshman guard Cam Christie, who was listed as questionable (illness) on the U’s pregame status report and did not play. He has practiced twice and the target is for him to play Friday against Texas-San Antonio.

The Gophers’ debut starting five was: Elijah Hawkins, Braeden Carrington, Josh Ola-Joseph, Dawson Garcia and Payne.

Garcia remains the Gophers’ go-to player. He put up a double-double with 23 points, 14 rebounds and six assists.

The Gophers led 46-22 at the half, with eight players scoring and the U having 11 assists on 15 made baskets.

Head coach Ben Johnson was pleased with how his team didn’t turn the ball over against Macalester. But on Monday the U had 17 turnovers, which led to 17 points for Bethune-Cookman.

Minnesota’s defense held the Wildcats to 17% shooting in the opening 20 minutes, including a stretch with one make in 17 attempts. But Bethune-Cookman, coach by former NBA All-Star Reggie Theus, worked to keep his team in the game and they shot 55% in the second half.

Zion Harmon, who was considered the 50th-best player in the country in the 2021 class, finished with only seven points.

Minnesota improved to 7-0 all-time against Bethune-Cookman, with the last victory coming in 2002.

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